MCC Staff Recommends Financial Adviser

And, guess what?

It’s the same firm that McHenry County Blog suggested would get the job, based on the early assistance provided by former McHenry County College Trustee Tim Stratton.

So far, McHenry County Blog is the only media outlet to take a look at the four applicants to sell the $36 million that it will take to build and finance the minor league baseball stadium.

After posting my premonition, based on emails from Stratton prior to the RGQ’s being issued, he contacted me to tell me that he had resigned from the firm of Hutchinson, Shockey, Erley and Co. about a week before I posted the article. But his name was on the firm’s reply to MCC’s Request of Qualifications for firms wanting to help the college finance the minor league baseball stadium.

Now, the plot thickens.

After Administrative Vice President Todd McDonald reported on the staff’s recommendation of Hutchinson, Shockey, Erley and Co., almost at the end of the Board’s Monday Committee of the Whole meeting, newly elected Board President Scott Summers said because he had known Joanne Malinowski for 30 years and because she “is a personal friend of mine,” he intended “to abstain from that vote.”

“I have gone to great pains” not to be involved in the selection, he added.

Next, Donna Kurtz disqualified herself from voting on the issue. Kurtz works for Smith Barney, which is owned by Citicorp.

“I also will be abstaining because I am in the financial serviced business, so I think it is most appropriate for me to abstain from any vote on this subject,” she said.

Kurtz did ask for an “empirical demonstration of how they are to be compensated for the two firms that were interviewed, at the very least.”

AVP McDonald did not say what other firm made the first cut and I must admit I forgot to ask him.

= = = = =
Let me tell a little story about a subjectively awarded contract from natural gas for which I headed the selection committee for the Illinois Department of Central Management Services. I absolutely knew whom the powers-that-be in the administration of Governor Jim Thompson wanted to get the award.

And, so did one other member of the 5 or 7-member committee.

The other member tried to steer the majority to the “chosen one,” which was not the lowest bidder by price. I managed to stave off that effort and the lowest bidder got the contract, at least for the first contract.

Whether there is an analogy in the current situation, I have no idea.

= = = = =
The McHenry County College Trustee seen on top is Scott Summers. Donna Kurtz is seen below.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *